Film Review: Avatar… still topping the charts

Nominated for nine academy awards including best picture, James Cameron is back with the overly hyped film of the year; the science fiction blockbuster, Avatar. The film, having already overtaken Titanic which previously held the record for the highest grossing film of all time, seems to be pleasing most audiences.

Avatar has been a long time coming: the director came up with the concept over a decade ago, but due to the lack of technology at the time, he had to prolong the film’s production. Today, he was able to utilise “stereostopic” filmmaking to record three-dimensional visuals by fitting the actors with special suits that transported their facial expressions and movements onto computers (imdb). The result? Weird looking blue creatures.

The setting of the film is visually beautiful – fluorescent blues and pinks dominate the film, creating a vivid fantasy world. However, while it is aesthetically appealing, the plot is somewhat convoluted and difficult to follow at times. Set in the future in the year 2154 on the moon Pandora, humans have started a mining project which is threatening the lives of the natives, the Na’vi. The human scientists have created a means for humans to ‘become’ clones of the Na’vi people and to interact with them for research purposes – their doubles are called Avatars. Themes of imperialism clearly resonate throughout the film, and the reasons for the invasion and destruction of Pandora is not clearly explained. It is suggested that the humans are mining for a powerful mineral that will supposedly help solve Earth’s energy issues,  but the climax is ambiguous – does Earth survive?

Australia’s own Sam Worthington stars as Jake, a man who had recently become paralysed on Earth. That’s why it’s somewhat easy to believe that he would rather reside on Pandora, where he has fallen in love with a young female native and has the power to walk again. His acting however, is somewhat bland (and one dimensional!), but Sigorny Weaver convincingly portrays a dedicated scientist who truly cares about the well-being of the natives.

Overall, I was not a huge fan of the plot, or its length (like Titanic, it lasted for nearly three hours). Nonetheless, it seems that the general public favours the film, as a sequel has already been announced, along with a series of merchandise, action figures and video games. A “must see” for those who appreciate expensive filmic technologies and who don’t mind wearing 3D goggles for extended periods of time.